Why is SanDisk stock skyrocketing on Thursday?

SanDisk stock (NASDAQ: SNDK) jumped sharply on Thursday, rallying nearly 9% as a convergence of positive catalysts lifted sentiment across the memory sector.

Micron's blowout earnings and bullish guidance on AI-driven NAND demand, combined with fresh analyst price-target increases, sparked heavy buying in storage stocks.

SanDisk's position as a pure-play NAND flash memory company makes it a direct beneficiary of strengthening data-center and AI infrastructure buildouts. ​

SanDisk stock: Micron earnings spark rally

SanDisk's Thursday surge reflects multiple layers of positive momentum.

First, Micron's fiscal Q1 results set records across high-bandwidth memory and data-center storage, with management signaling that supply constraints will persist well into 2026.

NAND flash memory prices grew by mid-teen percent in the most recent quarter after climbing high-single-digit percent in the prior period, with NAND sales jumping 22% sequentially.

For SanDisk, which derives most of its revenue from data-center and enterprise NAND products, this pricing acceleration translates directly to margin expansion and revenue acceleration.​

Second, SanDisk's own recent earnings impressed. The company posted fiscal Q1 results with revenue, margins, and earnings all exceeding expectations, and guidance for Q2 came in robust as well.

First quarter revenue reached $2.31 billion, topping consensus, and management guided for fourth-quarter revenue to rise 13% quarter-over-quarter to $2.6 billion.

This performance trajectory, coupled with analyst expectations for 42% fiscal 2026 revenue growth, positioned SanDisk as a prime beneficiary of the NAND pricing cycle now accelerating.​

In after-hours trading on Wednesday, Micron surged over 6%, Western Digital climbed more than 2%, and SanDisk itself rose over 3% initially.

SanDisk's trading volume spiked, reflecting genuine institutional interest rather than retail speculation.​

What analysts say

Wall Street has dramatically raised its conviction on SanDisk following recent results and market dynamics.

Benchmark maintained its Buy rating and $260 price target on Thursday, with analyst Mark Miller citing positive industry trends in NAND flash memory.

That $260 target implies roughly 15% upside from current levels, providing investors with a margin of safety.​

Multiple houses have aggressively raised targets in recent weeks.

Jefferies increased its price target to $250, maintaining a Buy rating and pointing to favorable pricing dynamics in the memory market.

Mizuho raised its target to $250 from prior levels, citing strong demand in the artificial intelligence server market, driving pricing strength.

Most significantly, Bernstein SocGen Group raised its price target to $300, highlighting the company's strong quarterly performance and the structural tailwinds from AI infrastructure buildouts.​

Analyst consensus now stands at 24 Buy ratings, 13 Hold ratings, and zero Sell ratings, with an average 12-month price target of around $262.71. ​

Investors should monitor major catalysts, including NAND spot pricing reports and quarterly industry forecasts, if pricing holds at current elevated levels or climbs further.

The investors will keep a close eye on updates from SanDisk's next earnings call in February regarding customer orders, data-center adoption trends, and visibility into fiscal 2027 demand. ​